Alex Wimmers Makes MLB Debut – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 27, 2016
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Buckeyes in the Pros
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Buckeye Alex Wimmers made his Major League Baseball debut Friday night, pitching a scoreless eighth inning of the Minnesota Twins’ 15-8 loss vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The right-hander, who fanned two and retired the Blue Jays in order, becomes the fourth Buckeye to play in the big leagues this season, joining Eric Fryer, JB Shuck and Cory Luebke.
“We were leaving Norfolk, on our way, I was on a bus going to Scranton, so it was a half hour into the drive and Chad Allen was on the bus, our hitting coach,” Wimmers told MLB.com of the promotion. “He got the call from our manager, and he ended up telling me in front of everybody. It was pretty cool.”
Wimmers’ journey to the big leagues should inspire us all. After a decorated career at Ohio State from 2008-10 that included two first team All-America honors, two Big Ten Pitcher of the Year awards and a College Baseball National Pitcher of the Year trophy, Wimmers was drafted in first round of 2010 MLB Draft as the 21st overall pick by the Minnesota Twins. He started out strong with Class A Advanced Fort Myers, going 2-0 in four starts with a 0.57 ERA in 2010.
However the following spring, Wimmers struggled with his control on the mound. Ultimately, he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2012 and had to go through a full year of recovery before suffering another injury in 2013 in the Gulf Coast League. At the age of 24, Wimmers got back on the bump again and worked his way between the rotation and bullpen in the minors for the next three years. This spring, Wimmers finally cemented himself into a bullpen role and found success. He went 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 49.2 innings pitched with triple-A Rochester before getting the call of a lifetime on Thursday.
After pitching out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2008, Wimmers put together two outstanding seasons as an Ohio State starter.
- He first came onto the college baseball national scene in 2009 when he went 9-2 with a 3.27 ERA and was named first-team All-America by PING! Baseball and second- or third-team All-America by five other awarding publications. He threw the first nine-inning no hitter in Ohio State history May 2 vs. Michigan with 14 strikeouts. He also picked up back-to-back complete game victories with 29 combined strikeouts vs. Indiana (14 Ks) and Pittsburgh. He also got the win vs. No. 2 Miami and he was named Big Ten Conference co-Pitcher of the Year. He led the Big Ten with 136 strikeouts and with a .211 opponents’ batting average.
- In 2010, Wimmers led the Big Ten in ERA and opposing batting average (.218) while posting his 9-0 mark despite missing three starts with a hamstring injury. He was 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA in five Big Ten starts and he was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year at the conclusion of the season, becoming the first back-to-back award winner in Big Ten history.
